The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced that the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train service will officially resume operations on Wednesday, October 1.
According to the NRC, the resumption follows the completion of comprehensive safety, technical, and operational checks after the suspension of service due to the August 26 accident.
In a statement signed by the Chief Public Relations Officer of the NRC, Callistus Unyimadu, on Saturday, affirmed the corporation’s commitment to providing safe, secure, and reliable train transportation for Nigerians.
The statement read partly, “The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is pleased to announce the resumption of passenger train services on the Abuja–Kaduna corridor, effective Wednesday, 1st October 2025.”
Last Wednesday, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau revealed that infrastructure neglect was a major contributor to the recent Abuja-Kaduna train derailment, according to its preliminary report on the incident.
The Bureau, against the Nigeria Railway Corporation’s claim that 20 persons were injured in the accident, said 21 passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The PUNCH earlier reported how a passenger train travelling from Abuja to Kaduna derailed on August 26th, a Tuesday morning, leaving several carriages overturned and triggering panic among those on board.
The accident occurred along the popular corridor shortly after the train departed Abuja around 11 a.m., en route to Kaduna.
The unfortunate incident caused passengers to flee for safety. While many described the scene as chaotic and frightening, some others initially thought it was a terrorist attack.
But the Managing Director of NRC, Kayode Opeifa, stated that all affected coaches and locomotives have been re-railed and moved to designated workshops for comprehensive evaluation and further technical work.
Meanwhile, while addressing passenger welfare, the NRC provided an update on efforts made following the August 26 accident that involved 618 individuals on board.
The Corporation said out of 583 ticketed passengers involved in the accident, 530 have been successfully contacted, and 512 have received refunds.
He added that injured passengers have also been reached, and many have received visits from NRC medical teams.
The NRC added that “the injured passengers are entitled to one free ride per week until December 31, 2025.”
However, 53 individuals involved in the incident have yet to be reached.
Alongside the resumption, the NRC also releases an updated timetable reading; Abuja to Kaduna: IDU: 8:45 am, Kubwa: 9:05 am, Rigassa (arrival): 12:42 PM, while Kaduna to Abuja: Rigassa: 2:30 pm, Kubwa: 6:02 pm, and IDU (arrival): 6:23 PM
Wednesdays were also designated as maintenance days, during which no commercial service will operate on the route.
“Out of the 583 passengers on board, 530 passengers were contacted by phone, out of which 512 have successfully received refunds.
“All 22 injured passengers have been contacted, many visited by our medical team, and will enjoy one free ride per week until December 31, 2025.
“All 618 people on board during the August 26, 2025, accident will be entitled to one free ride before December 31, 2025,” the statement stated.
The NRC, however, expressed gratitude to passengers for their patience and understanding during the service suspension and reaffirmed its commitment to delivering improved, safer rail services nationwide.
